"Little brother, why did you take so long to get back? Your big brother and our guest have been waiting impatiently." Zhao Ke turned his head and spoke with a false smile.
Before, he might have feared Zhao An to some extent, but now he had nothing to be afraid of.
He was merely a guide. The one he had pledged himself to was the real power behind the scenes.
"Big brother's been a little short on cash lately. Since we're brothers, I just wanted to borrow some from you. Don't take it the wrong way, don't take it the wrong way." Seeing Zhao An return, Zhao Ke didn't rush to bring his blade down.
He looked toward the unkempt man beside him and said with particular deference, "This is my own younger brother. He came first on the county's Martial List this year!"
"His skills are quite good. He'd be the perfect inside man, and he can still enter and leave the County Magistrate's residence to meet the new County Magistrate."
Hearing this, the unkempt man rose straight to his feet, his gaze already fixed on Zhao An.
"You're even better-looking than your brother—a handsome, extraordinary young man. Very nice." The man suddenly grinned. As his face twitched, the several scars across it twisted like writhing centipedes.
The look he gave Zhao An made Zhao Ke shudder. A chill inexplicably ran through him, and he couldn't help but complain inwardly. Could this Third Leader of Black Wind Stronghold have some kind of unusual proclivity?
"Damn Lu Yixiu!" Zhao Ke was at his wit's end, but if he wanted to live, he had no way back now.
"Little brother, you probably don't know me. My name is Yang Yi, and I rank third among the kings of Black Wind Stronghold." The man made no attempt to hide anything; he directly revealed his true identity to Zhao An.
"Don't be nervous. I didn't come looking for you today to make an enemy of you. I want to seek cooperation."
"Once we've taken all of Lianjiang County, you'll have rendered a great service. High office, generous rewards, fertile fields, and a family estate will all be yours."
Yang Yi didn't even bother to ask whether Zhao An agreed. He immediately began promising him the moon, trying to win him over.
"Black Wind Stronghold was wiped out long ago, and you still dream of taking the county seat?" Zhao An retorted, slowly drawing the treasured Clear Water from its sheath.
"Black Wind Stronghold may be gone, but the Moon People's army will arrive before long. Tell me, can't I take this county seat?" Yang Yi sneered.
"When the time comes, I'll use the County Magistrate's head to make a sacrifice before the banners!"
"If you know what's good for you, you might yet live. Otherwise, you're dead either way!"
Zhao An understood. The Black Wind Stronghold leader before him had already allied himself with the foreign Moon People.
No wonder he dared return and plot to seize the county seat and take revenge on the County Magistrate.
"Why me?" Zhao An asked.
"I need a few helpers, and as luck would have it, your good big brother recommended you to me," Yang Yi replied.
Zhao An said no more. He watched Yang Yi's name, glowing bright red above his head like a great lantern that stood out in the night.
Holding his blade, he stepped toward Yang Yi.
Yang Yi sighed when he saw this. He knew that unless he beat Zhao An into submission tonight, there was no way to make him yield.
"Kid, I understand being young and hot-blooded, but don't think that coming first in the martial examinations makes you invincible!"
Yang Yi reached out his large hand, and Zhao Ke dutifully passed him the Official Blade he was holding.
That day, when he'd followed the County Commandant up the mountain on their first bandit-suppression campaign, he'd witnessed with his own eyes how formidable the kings of Black Wind Stronghold were.
They'd cut down County Soldiers as easily as chopping melons and vegetables. Several County Soldier officers with battle honors to their names had died at their hands.
Afterward, Yang Yi alone had held them off, delaying their return to the county seat and causing a catastrophe that landed the County Commandant in prison.
He felt there were few martial artists in the county who could match this Third Leader of Black Wind Stronghold!
Even ten of him together wouldn't be a match!
With the long blade in hand, a terrifying aura seemed to awaken and burst from Yang Yi in an instant, surging toward Zhao An.
The ragged beggar who had seemed utterly unremarkable moments ago transformed at once. He looked like a demon that had crawled out of a mountain of corpses and sea of blood, a fearsome sight!
"The murderous aura of the battlefield..." Zhao An instinctively held his breath.
Black Wind Stronghold had once been a band of wandering, defeated soldiers. The several kings of the stronghold had naturally been commanders who had once led troops in the field.
After enduring the baptism of battle, these commanders had acquired a natural air of oppression.
They had seen too much death, and naturally came to regard life with indifference. They were true gods of slaughter, utterly unlike ordinary martial artists of the jianghu.
In a flash, the Killing God sprang into action!
Yang Yi dipped low and charged forward, moving with astonishing speed. The distance of several yards vanished in an instant.
His long blade swept through a half-moon of cold light, slashing diagonally toward Zhao An's head.
Zhao An's eyes were cold and his expression steady. He showed no sign of panic; instead of retreating, he pressed forward and met the blade head-on.
Clang!
The two blades collided, sparks flying as their tremendous forces clashed.
Yang Yi's aura of slaughter failed to cow Zhao An. More importantly, his blade couldn't force Zhao An's down even by a fraction!
Yang Yi's eyes widened slightly. His eye sockets were dark, and the whites of his eyes were laced with blood vessels as he stared at Zhao An from up close.
The kid looked like a novice, yet he wasn't the least bit afraid of the baleful aura around him. His strength was enough to match Yang Yi's completely. That was truly rare.
"An iron-body technique. Not bad!" Yang Yi recognized the cause at a glance.
But the next moment, he realized something was wrong.
The force pushing against him grew heavier and heavier. Then it sent him flying, blade and all.
Yang Yi flipped in midair and landed steadily on his feet. There was no doubt about it: Zhao An's strength exceeded even his expectations by a wide margin!
He had no time to think it over. A gust of wind swept toward him as Zhao An's blade howled through the air, its ring like a tiger's roar.
Zhao An unleashed his flawless blade technique to the utmost. From the very first exchange, Yang Yi was caught off guard.
Not only had Zhao An cultivated an extraordinary iron-body technique and possessed heaven-shattering strength, his blade art had also reached the pinnacle, perfected to its utmost!
Together, these abilities were enough to put Yang Yi on the back foot from the very first exchange!
But Yang Yi was, after all, one of the trump cards of Black Wind Stronghold. Once he put aside his contempt, he became the strongest opponent Zhao An had faced since taking up martial arts!
He was considerably stronger than Guo Fenglin, who had stormed into the small courtyard earlier!
Yang Yi clearly possessed an equally domineering military blade technique, and its intricacy surpassed the Fierce Tiger Blade Art Zhao An had mastered.
His measured, step-by-step blade work left no opening. The blade in his hand was like a military formation arrayed before Zhao An, surrounding him on all sides.
Zhao An's eyes were sharp and his blood surged. Every blade strike seemed to carry a thousand jun of force, sweeping broadly without relying on clever tricks or fancy flourishes.
Yang Yi had the advantage in the grade of his blade art and the depth of his Internal Breath, while Zhao An had the advantage of a perfected blade art and an iron-trained body with boundless strength.
They fought for more than a dozen exchanges, neither able to gain the upper hand.
Zhao An didn't want to drag things out. He flicked his right hand, sending the long blade flying straight toward Yang Yi's face.
Zhao An's Flying Dagger Art had repeatedly worked wonders in the past.
Unfortunately, his opponent this time had seen a hundred battles. He wasn't caught off guard. As if listening for the blade's position, he kept his footing and used the weapon in his hand to knock aside the flying blade.
The instant Zhao An threw the blade, he had already put strength into his feet and launched into the Roaming Body Steps, following close behind it with both fists raised.
Now his fist and foot techniques were stronger than even his Fierce Tiger Blade Art. With a blade in hand, he couldn't bring out his strongest abilities.
Ridge-Splitting Peak-Crushing!
He unleashed the Mountain Crushing Fist with ferocious force. Strength coursed through both arms, and his fists were like heavy hammers.
Caught off guard, Yang Yi staggered from Zhao An's savage punch and was driven back step by step.
Zhao An used the Roaming Body Steps to follow like a shadow. This Eighth-Grade Movement Technique was perfectly suited to close-quarters combat.
Once he closed in, his opponent could forget about escaping!
Zhao An moved like a ghost. After closing the distance, he suddenly transformed one hand into a finger and jabbed it into Yang Yi's arm.
Internal Breath surged from his fingertip.
Acupoint-Sealing Finger!
Before you continue